The Friday Roundup – Software Downloading Tips and a Few Bits and Pieces

6 Video Editing Rules to Live By

I found a great video (below) this week and just had to include it in the Friday Roundup.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you will probably already know that one of my pet hates in life is the use of pre-packaged, whirling, spinning transitions that server o particular purpose in any video.

Their actual purpose is to show you whirling, spinning stuff prior to purchase that kind of dazzles you and makes you think that you simple must have that software!

Anyway, one of the reasons I liked this video so much is that point number one gets straight into the meat and potatoes of editing when it comes to transitions.

But wait folks! That’s not all!

The video also includes some excellent advice and tips on editing in general with good explanations of why things should be done they are they are suggested.

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Have You Been Demonetized on YouTube?

Well the ongoing saga over at YouTube seems to be rolling on although at this point there seems to be a bit of a cooling off period being entered.

It seems that YouTube are acknowledging that there has been some collateral damage and are now in the process of formulating a way forward.

To check out the latest in this saga just watch the video below.

For anyone unfamiliar with the situation here is is in a nutshell.

Recently YouTube unleashed some pretty dramatic changes to its algorithm so as to detect and either demonetize or outright ban channels that were deemed to have inappropriate content for kids.

As is always the case with algorithmic based changes the results have been a little over the top with many innocent bystanders getting nuked in the process.

YouTube have remained unmoved on the subject and whilst having expressed regret at some of the results they have cited the greater good as their justification.

It seems now they are moving towards a more conciliatory stance in an effort to keep their content creators a little happier.

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A Seriously Strange Transition

OK I’ll be the first to admit this is a seriously weird transition and could only possible be used in some specialized circumstances!

Anyway I think it is worth taking a look at especially from the point of view of using masks to create transitions rather than canned ones.

The demo itself is done I Adobe After Effects but most video editing software these days can handle the steps necessary.

Downloading Software and Backup DVDs

I thought that for a bit of change this week I would address a question that I have been getting recently from a number of different people.

The question is whether or not to buy a DVD copy of any software program a user may purchase rather than or in addition to downloading it.

My take on this is that although having a backup DVD is a great idea the only reason you would want to pay for one is because you have a internet connection that would prevent downloading being feasible or at the very least making it very inconvenient.

Creating your own backup DVD is a very simple matter these days and requires absolutely no extra software at all provided you have a DVD burner.

The Windows operating system comes with its own inbuilt CD and DVD burning software reducing the task to a simple drag and drop process.

So here are the steps I take to avoid paying for a DVD but at the same time making sure I have a backup of the core program and associated data.

1. First up right click anywhere on the Windows Desktop and choose to create a new folder. Rename that folder to the name of the software you are getting.

Don’t create the folder in your “Documents” folder because later the software may try to create a folder there for the program to use. Let’s not get everyone confused here!

2. Open that newly created folder, right click again and choose to create a new notepad file.

Rename the notepad file as “Information” or “License Keys” or whatever.

3. Go to the relevant website and make your purchase.

Usually once the purchase is made you will be directed to a page that has your license key, receipt record and a download link for the software.

Additionally you may also be sent an email with that information.

3. Copy the license key, receipt number etc. to the clipboard and then paste it all to that new notepad file you created.

4. Click the provided download link and choose to save the file to the Folder you created on the desktop.

5. Go have a cup of coffee or beverage of choice as this will be a big file!

6. The installation file will be a zipped file so once downloaded, right click and choose to “Extract all files.”

Make sure it is going to extract those files from the zip file into the same desktop folder you created.

7. Now install the program and don’t forget to copy your license key to the clipboard. It makes it easier when the program asks you for it later during the installation process.

8. Once the program has been installed and opens for the first time or at some point during the latter steps of installing you will be offered the choice to register the software.

It is very important that you choose to register the program and as part of that process, create an account.

Although later you can create a backup DVD of the program, registering allows you to create a second backup point in case your DVD glitches in some way.

Your account on the manufacturer’s website will retain details of your purchase, license keys and a download link for the software should you need it.

9. After registration and you have confirmed using the email they will send you, copy your username, your password and the login URL for the sign-in page on the software makers website to the notepad file you created.

10. When everything is running and you are all finished with the installation save and close the notepad file then close the folder on the desktop.

11. Right click the folder and select Properties to see what the size of that folder is.

If it is less than 4.5Gb you are good to go for a DVD.

12. If the file is bigger than 4.5Gb then delete the extracted program installation files only leaving the notepad file and the original zip file.

13. Load a DVD into your burner right click the download folder on your desktop and choose “Send to DVD.”

Follow the prompts and you will have yourself a perfect backup of your original download and all the data you will need in the future if something goes wrong.

15. Bear in mind that you can also always re-download from the manufacturer’s website using your newly created account and use this first in the event of it being necessary.

The reason you would do that is that on the software maker’s website the download link will be associated with the latest version of the software including any updates or patches that have been released since you bought it.